Heretofore, to eliminate backlash in a gear shift lever assembly, it has been customary to adjust the conduit or sheath which surrounds the usual cable, in order to eliminate any backlash that may be present in the system. One example of a sheath adjusting lash removal device is shown and described in Ruhala U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,962.
Another known adjustable cable assembly, namely, Deck U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,622, provides adjustment of both the cable and sheath. The sheath includes a threaded coupling member threadedly connected to a rotatable bracket. Rotation of the latter serves to move the coupling member and, hence, the cable and sheath. A lock nut retains the adjusted setting of the bracket and coupling member.
Still another known self-adjusting cable control device is disclosed in Pickell U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,400. In this arrangement, when an adjustment needs to occur because of slack, a spring urges a toothed member connected to a cable to move so as to cause frustoconical surfaces to engage to lift toothed collet members out of engagement with the toothed member until the slack in the cable is removed and the teeth re-engage at a new position.
In vehicles having automatic transmissions with gearshift lever assemblies mounted on the vehicle's floor, it is desirable to have a device which is associated with the ignition system of the vehicle so that when the ignition is locked, the gearshift lever is locked in a park position. Relevant art illustrating various types of transmission shifters with park lock devices include the following U.S. Pat. No.: 4,724,722, issued to Beauch et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,397, issued to Niskanen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,085, issued to Yamaguchi et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,085, issued to DeVogelaere et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,112, issued to Osborn; U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,624, issued to Jessop; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,123, issued to Simancik et al; and in patent application Ser. No. 07/807,818, filed on Dec. 16, 1991, in the names of William L. Behrens and Arthur Anderson.
Also, in vehicles having automatic transmissions with gearshift lever assemblies mounted on the vehicle's floor, it is desirable to have a shift control mechanism which provides the driver with an assured feeling of security while shifting through the various transmission shift positions. Relevant art illustrating various means for providing the driver with a "feel" or sense of reaching each shift position include the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,820, issued to Behrens; U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,522, issued to Kubota et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,109, issued to O'Brien. The latter two patents include vertically oriented, metal detent plates for providing the driver with an assured detent feeling while shifting.